Post by Editor on Mar 12, 2013 8:26:36 GMT
U.S. Army veteran joins al Qaeda-linked group after months of fighting with rebel forces in Syria
By HAYLEY PETERSON
PUBLISHED: 20:36, 11 March 2013 | UPDATED: 05:57, 12 March 2013
A U.S. Army veteran says he has joined an offshoot of al Qaeda after spending several months fighting alongside Syrian rebel forces.
Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra in part because of his fascination with the conflict in the Middle East.
His story will undoubtedly infuriate the hundreds of thousands of service men and women who have risked their lives on the battlefields fighting al Qaeda, only to learn that he never actually served overseas for the United States, picking up disability pay for years before going over to fight for the terrorist-backed organization.
'Getting into al-Nusra is not rocket science,' he said. 'It just takes balls and brains.'
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Eric Harroun (right), a 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda alias Jabhat al-Nusra after months of fighting with Syrian rebels
Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as 'The American,' joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was dishcharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle
Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as 'The American,' joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was discharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle, according to his father.
He was injured while riding in a pickup truck that hit a tree and he now has a steel plate in his head, his father Darryl Harroun told Fox.
Rebel fighting: In his time working for the U.S. army, Harroun never actually served in battle but earned his disability check because he was hit in a car crash on a base
Harroun revels in his 'hero' status and brags on Facebook and in YouTube vidoes of his bloody exploits in the Middle East
Harroun right) describes himself as a Sunni Muslim on Facebook and writes about his hatred of Israel and Zionists
'Now he has mood swings and what-not,' he said. 'He was already suffering from depression before that, and the accident just kind of multiplied it,' the elder Mr Harroun said he frequently talks to his son by phone.
He said he doesn't agree with what Eric is doing but can't get him to stop.
'He just loves that part of the world,' his father said. 'We scratch our heads and wonder what the hell he's doing.
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'I told him, "You're never going to change those people's minds over there." But he says they treat him like a hero.'
Eric's life has changed dramatically from the days when he worked at Artisan Mortgage company in Phoenix, Arizona from 2006 to 2008 where he described his job as finalizing 'applications for home loans or second mortgages,and a lot of other boring paperwork.'
He also lived in an up-market Arizona apartment complex, which is clearly a far-cry from anywhere that he is staying now as he fights in Syria.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2291758/U-S-Army-veteran-joins-al-Qaeda-linked-group-months-fighting-rebel-forces-Syria.html#ixzz2NJOtHhpP
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By HAYLEY PETERSON
PUBLISHED: 20:36, 11 March 2013 | UPDATED: 05:57, 12 March 2013
A U.S. Army veteran says he has joined an offshoot of al Qaeda after spending several months fighting alongside Syrian rebel forces.
Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra in part because of his fascination with the conflict in the Middle East.
His story will undoubtedly infuriate the hundreds of thousands of service men and women who have risked their lives on the battlefields fighting al Qaeda, only to learn that he never actually served overseas for the United States, picking up disability pay for years before going over to fight for the terrorist-backed organization.
'Getting into al-Nusra is not rocket science,' he said. 'It just takes balls and brains.'
Scroll down for video
Eric Harroun (right), a 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda alias Jabhat al-Nusra after months of fighting with Syrian rebels
Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as 'The American,' joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was dishcharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle
Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as 'The American,' joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was discharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle, according to his father.
He was injured while riding in a pickup truck that hit a tree and he now has a steel plate in his head, his father Darryl Harroun told Fox.
Rebel fighting: In his time working for the U.S. army, Harroun never actually served in battle but earned his disability check because he was hit in a car crash on a base
Harroun revels in his 'hero' status and brags on Facebook and in YouTube vidoes of his bloody exploits in the Middle East
Harroun right) describes himself as a Sunni Muslim on Facebook and writes about his hatred of Israel and Zionists
'Now he has mood swings and what-not,' he said. 'He was already suffering from depression before that, and the accident just kind of multiplied it,' the elder Mr Harroun said he frequently talks to his son by phone.
He said he doesn't agree with what Eric is doing but can't get him to stop.
'He just loves that part of the world,' his father said. 'We scratch our heads and wonder what the hell he's doing.
More...
'Sorry, we thought violent computer game pictures were real-life SYRIA': Danish TV news bosses accidentally use Assassin's Creed backdrop as Damascus skyline after mistaking images for war
'Sorry, we thought violent computer game pictures were real-life SYRIA': Danish TV news bosses accidentally use Assassin's Creed backdrop as Damascus skyline after mistaking images for war
Another one bites the bust! Syrian rebels tear down statue of President Assad's father as they capture northeastern city
'I told him, "You're never going to change those people's minds over there." But he says they treat him like a hero.'
Eric's life has changed dramatically from the days when he worked at Artisan Mortgage company in Phoenix, Arizona from 2006 to 2008 where he described his job as finalizing 'applications for home loans or second mortgages,and a lot of other boring paperwork.'
He also lived in an up-market Arizona apartment complex, which is clearly a far-cry from anywhere that he is staying now as he fights in Syria.
Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2291758/U-S-Army-veteran-joins-al-Qaeda-linked-group-months-fighting-rebel-forces-Syria.html#ixzz2NJOtHhpP
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